Apopka's versatile Chandler Cox lands first college offer from Kentucky

By Chris Hays | Florida RecruitingOrlando Sentinel

When Apopka’s multi-talented offensive workhorse Chandler Cox received his first Football Bowl Subdivision scholarship offer from Kentucky on Wednesday night, there was one person he needed to call immediately.

“I had to call Zack,” Cox said of his best friend and Apopka quarterback Zack Darlington, who has been sidelined since the season opener because of complications from two concussions. “He was excited for me. When he got his first offer from Virginia Tech on Christmas Day, he called me right away and so I said as soon as I get my offer I’m going to call him.”

Cox has been instrumental in leading the defending Florida Class 8A state champs to an undefeated mark since losing the first game of the season at Duncan (S.C.) Byrnes. Apopka is 5-1 heading into its biggest game of the season so far, a Friday night battle against fellow unbeaten, district foe Winter Garden West Orange (5-0).

Cox is the cog that grinds the gears of an Apopka offensive juggernaut that puts up 50 points and 535 yards per game . He runs, passes and blocks from the fullback position in the Daters’ single-wing attack. But even if the Darters needed an extra offensive lineman, he’d step right in.

Kentucky coaches told him Wednesday night that’s exactly what they love about him.

“I didn’t really know what to say. I was just excited,” Cox said shortly after the phone call with Scott. “They said they never recruited a player like me who plays different positions and they’ve never offered a fullback out of high school a full-ride scholarship.”

As far as Cox is concerned, he’ll play about any position, but he likes the way he’s used by Apopka head coach Rick Darlington, so what Kentucky offers as his future sounded pretty good.

“[Scott] said if I went there I could play fullback, tight end, wide receiver, Wildcat quarterback and maybe even some running back,” Cox said of a role with which he has become quite comfortable. “That’s exactly what I want to do. I think it’s really cool that if I went there I could play a similar position to what I am now.”

He said he wasn’t sure when he’d see his first offer and wasn’t necessarily expecting it anytime soon until Scott contacted him via Facebook on Wednesday.

“I was really surprised. I’ve talked to Kentucky for a little while and the coach wrote me on Facebook and said give me a call tonight,” Cox said. “So I gave him a call and they offered me … I was very excited.”

Cox, who is the No. 4-ranked prospect in a loaded Sentinel 2015 Central Florida Super60, is 13-of-25 passing for 424 yards, four touchdowns and an interception and he has rushed for 404 yards and six touchdowns on 72 carries. What might be his biggest asset, however, is his sometimes-overlooked blocking skills. He especially likes springing one of Apopka’s speedy running backs with a down-field block.

Football runs in the family. Chandler’s older brother Dakota Cox plays linebacker at New Mexico. Dakota Cox attended high school in Utah where he lived with their father Tom Cox, a former offensive center at Southern Cal in the mid-80s.

Chandler Cox said the Lobos coaching staff has actually asked about his interest in playing linebacker with his brother. New Mexico and Kentucky will not be the only interested parties, however, and his stock will continue to rise.

As for Darlington, who plans to enroll on full scholarship to Nebraska in January, Cox and his teammates have missed their injured leader.

“It’s been really tough not to have Zack on the field and you can tell it really bothers him,” Cox said. “But God just tells Zack that we think about him out there and we play for him each week and it’s been fine. We just work as a team. We have a strong brotherhood. I think we can work through any adversity by coming together.”

The Darters decided to have a different player wear Darlington’s jersey during games this season. So far, Cox, Rakeem Smith, Robert Thomas and Anthony Ellis have all donned Darlington’s No. 6.

“We all kinda talked about it and Zack said something about it too and we thought it would be a great idea to switch it around each week … just to let Zack know we wish he was out there with us,” Cox said.

He laughed at the notion that everyone is waiting for 6-foot-6, 277-pound offensive tackle Martez Ivey to slip on the 6 jersey.

“Yeah, I don’t even know if it would fit him,” Cox said.

Kentucky has been busy in the Orlando area recently. Freshmen DB Blake McClain from Winter Park, RB JoJo Kemp of DeLand and WR Jeff Badet from Orlando Freedom have all been getting playing time, with McClain a full-time starter. Coach Scott was in Leesburg two weeks ago to watch his latest prize, West Orange 2014 WR Garrett Johnson, who committed to the Wildcats in July, and Longwood Lyman senior LB Nico Firios is also headed to the UK.

Apopka’s do-it-all junior fullback Chandler Cox, who also acts as the Darters’ quarterback on most of the rare occasions that head coach Rick Darlington calls for passing plays out of the single-wing attack, picked up his second college football scholarship offer Friday from New Mexico.

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